Iran's Fashion and the Burka Police

One size fits four....

A government "approved" fashion show was held this week in Tehran where the Culture and Islamic Orientation Minister hailed the burka line-up as "what women want to wear" and not what they've been "forced to wear" by the western "fashion industry". DBKP wondered, do Iranian women, according to the Minister of Islamic Orientation and Culture, really "want to wear" clothing mandated by the government, that covers them from "head to toe?

According to the New York Post, 12 models donned 60 outfits, the majority of them burkas, for an audience made up of mostly women photographers and members of the press. Culture and Islamic Orientation Minister Saffar Harandi of the Islamic Republic of Iran felt the show "freed" Iranian women from the "shackles" of the western fashion industry:

This is an unparalleled event for Iranian women, who until now have not had the opportunity to dress how they want to but have been forced to wear whatever the fashion industry imposes on our society," said the man who once agreed with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's assertion that the Holocaust is a "myth." --Iranian Culture and Islamic Orientation Minister Saffar Harandi

Up, up and away... hot air girl!

Lovely and alluring... for galactic tea parties.

Sharia law, which is based on the Islam faith, prohibits women from "showing too much skin". Women are to be covered from head to toe, not to protect themselves, but to protect the men from being caused to "lust" over a sinewy ankle or exposed elbow. While it may seem we're being glib in our description of the newest burka fashions, women in Iran know what they wear is not something to joke about.

Life in Iran

In Iran, there is no separation between religion and government. Iran's law contains codes based on the principles of Islam. Women's style of dress and manner of behavior are always under the watchful eye of the authorities. "Under Islamic sharia law, imposed after Iran's 1979 revolution, women are obliged to cover their hair and wear long, loose-fitting clothes to disguise their figures and protect their modesty. Violators can receive lashes, fines or imprisonment. Source - New York Post

Women are approached on the street by the "moral police" and given a verbal warning that what they are wearing is offensive. If the "offense" is deemed extremely offensive by a member of the "guidance patrol", the women can be immediately led away to a police station. A severe enough infraction can lead to "classes" and/or jail time.